Safaricom Newsroom

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa highlighted the importance of diversity, inclusion, innovation, and authenticity in driving success and promoting transformative leadership. The Women On Board's Network, which brings together women serving on boards, aims to drive gender diversity and inclusion within board leadership. Ndegwa reflected on his experiences, including attending Princeton and taking over at Safaricom during the Covid-19 pandemic. He emphasized the significance of innovation in the workplace, the future of work, technology, and consumer expectations. He emphasized the importance of leadership as a responsibility and a call to action that resonates across industries and borders. These issues and more are on this edition of the Safaricom Newsroom podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/safaricom-plc/message

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the biggest trends in the tech world this year. It has enabled companies to understand their customers better and reach out to them. However, there are concerns that AI may lead to a loss of human control. In September of this year, a closed-door meeting of tech companies developing AI unanimously endorsed the idea of US government regulation. Wendy Gonzalez, CEO of Sama, believes that such regulations are beneficial for the world and society as a whole. Safaricom has been using AI for the past five years to develop products, analyze data, and better understand its customers. Kamau Maina, Big Data and Customer Value Management Lead at Safaricom PLC believes that the use of AI in Kenya is still at a rudimentary level. Open AI, the company behind Chat GPT, has made its models accessible for various applications, reducing production time and allowing for more data-driven development. Kamau and Wendy recently spoke to the Safaricom Newsroom podcast about these de

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a popular trend in the tech industry, with more than a third of C-Suite executives utilizing it in their business operations. Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Dall-E can perform creative tasks such as creating advertising copy and designing artwork. However, there is a debate surrounding whether AI is genuinely creative or just mimicking data. As more companies adopt AI, concerns about potential job loss and ethical issues like cheating, complacency, and copyright infringement arise. Kenyan creatives must navigate these challenges to remain competitive. These issues and more are discussed in this edition of the Safaricom Newsroom podcast. You can listen to or watch the conversation below.#SafaricomNews  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/safaricom-plc/message

Taka Taka Solutions is a company that has invested in equipment capable of recycling flexible plastics, which has created numerous job opportunities for waste pickers. To mark the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day, Safaricom Newsroom engaged with experts, environmental change champions, and plastic solutionists to delve into the concept of a circular economy for plastics and how this year's theme of #beatplasticpollution can be transformed into tangible action. Safaricom Newsroom also interviewed Jennifer Wang, Chief Sales Officer at Taka Taka Solutions, to discuss solutions to tackle this problem head-on. Safaricom has implemented measures to address plastic pollution, such as eliminating problematic plastics from cafeterias and reducing SIM card size. Watch the podcast below for incisive details and analysis. #SafaricomNews #WorldEnvironmentDay #WED2023

As the violence raged in Kenya in January 2008, the media came under increasing scrutiny. One of the main accusations was that the media, particularly radio, was responsible for fanning the flames. When a prominent radio presenter was named along with politicians and civil servants as suspects to face trial at the International Criminal Court, the Kenyan media fraternity was shocked. Comparisons were made with the situation in Rwanda a decade before, where radio played a role in perpetrating genocide. The cases at the International Criminal Court were eventually terminated but the media had already learnt its lesson, chiefly that in a country that has faced political and ethnic conflict, radio is a powerful tool for promoting peace and fostering understanding and reconciliation. “Radio and peace” was the theme of this year’s World Radio Day, providing an opportunity to reflect on the role radio has played and can play, in mediating conflict and bringing about peace. The Safaricom Newsroom hosted Christine Ngu

A small group at Safaricom was on tenterhooks on the morning of June 23, 2021 as the company launched the M-PESA app. While M-PESA has grown in popularity and use since it was unveiled in March 2007, the app was a bold new step for the revolutionary payment solution now used by more than 51 million users across Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ghana, and Egypt. The app goes further from just offering payment services and serves as an anchor app that hosts multiple mini-apps that work towards servicing the day to day needs of the customer. The team behind the M-PESA app planned for it to become the one-stop-shop for all its customer does, from the moment they start their commute to work, have lunch, read the newspaper and book that flight or train ride. Stats from Safaricom’s latest half-year results indicates there have been 224.9 million transactions via the app, valued at KSH 603.8 billion, with 38.9 transactions per month per active customer. The app has more than one

When Caroline Masibo was a teenage girl, she did not see herself entering the tech space. But after completing her KSCEs, and during the long holiday in between, she started gaining interest in watching criminal drama. Her attention was drawn to one show in particular, namely ‘Criminal Minds’. In this show, an eccentric tech-savvy female character really intrigued her. “There was one lady I felt I related to very strongly because she embodied a lot of things, I believed I could be. She was bubbly, bright, and very colorful… she was the tech wizard in the team, she would hack into systems, figure things out, and write code. And to me, that seemed so amazing” says Caroline Masibo a youthful enthusiasm. In January, the year after her KCSE Caroline went on to start her Diploma in IT. Today, she is the Principal Engineer in, Core Networks Support Service at Safaricom PLC. Caroline alongside Tima Ali (Core Networks Design Engineer) are part of the Women in Technology (WIT) Initiative in Safaricom which was started

Owning the space where you call home and stopping the monthly rent payment are part of the Kenyan Dream. Over the last 10 years, there has been no shortage of options for the person who wants to own their own home. There are property shows on TV advertising new estates and residences, salesmen and women in traffic handing out brochures for upcoming developments, and weekly sections in newspapers full of property on sale. Some people advise that the best way to have your own home is to build it yourself, while others argue that going that route comes with a lot of headaches and stress and that the best option is to find a ready house and buy it. It can get overwhelming for those who are looking to make the decision for the first time, for whom the question often is: where do I start and what is better between buying and selling? On the latest episode of the Safaricom Newsroom podcast, we are joined by HF Group Chief Executive Officer Robert Kibaara and Daisy Magu, Lizzy Ichenihi and Judy Ndenga from Safaricom

Issues around the collection and protection of personal data have gained traction over the past two years. Everyone who comes into contact with personal data has a responsibility to ensure the data is used for what it was intended for but also well stored. Have you ever wondered what happens to all the personal information that you share in order to access buildings where your name, ID number and phone number are collected? Or those offer messages you get from restaurants and e-commerce shops, a few weeks after you pay for a product or service. You may ignore one message but then there is another one the next week and the week after that and the messages get irritating. All you wanted to do, you think, is pay for your meal, a product or a service. You didn’t sign up for this, you say. These complaints have not only become common but frequent with social media users raising concern of the wanton abuse of the access to personal information institutions have. Questions abound: how is my personal information sto

Earlier this year, the Kenya Urban Roads Authority announced its intention to set up an Intelligent Transport Management System, which it had trialled at several spots in the capital city. The intention of the system is to improve traffic efficiency and flow and suggests, for the first time, that technology could soon come to the aid of Nairobi’s traffic problem. In today’s edition of the Safaricom Newsroom podcast, Evelyn Wambui sought to find out whether technology will help solve Nairobi’s traffic problem.

The most dominant story of the past 12 months has been about the pain of the pandemic. Economically, close to two million people lost their jobs in the first three months of the pandemic alone. In April, an interesting statistic arose from analyses of the spending and saving patterns of Kenyans with bank accounts: they had managed to stash away more than KES463 billion. Savings normally become available once you have taken care of your fixed expenses. The question usually is: after you have taken care of your bills, what do you do with the rest of your hard-earned cash? While it’s nice to go out and treat yourself, do you try to save or invest some of that money? Setting aside some money can seem impossible if you can barely make ends meet or are out of a job. For Felista Wangari, the founder of the Facebook group 52 Weeks Savings Challenge, saving was part of her culture and the reason she founded the group, which won an award from Facebook in 2018. “Having grown up in family where savings was a culture, the

As the world celebrated World Environment Day, the Safaricom Newsroom sought out Michael Koech, who is in charge of Environment and climate change at Safaricom, and Dr. George Njenga, the Executive Dean of Strathmore University Business School, to discuss how we can leverage technology for a cleaner, more sustainable world. Safaricom is one of the companies that has committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reports annually on the extent to which it has gone about fulfilling its promises on sustainability. Michael and George agree that changing how the energy systems that power and sustain infrastructure and discuss how the telecommunications industry can support the restoration of the environment and the fight against climate change.

On the Safaricom Newsroom podcast today, we talk to three young mums and their families as they reflect on their lives during the pandemic. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums and mother figures out there. You are loved and treasured. Asante Sana Mama!

In this podcast, the Safaricom Newsroom celebrates fathers and the different roles they play in the lives of their children. To commemorate Father’s Day, we got a few men to talk about the meaning of fatherhood and share their views on what being a father means to them. Keith and Allan have been fathers for a couple of years now, Don is about to become a first-time dad and Barry shares his hope of becoming a dad one day. We also hear from Dr. Gladys Mwiti, a clinical psychologist, who has some great advice for men going through this journey of fatherhood. Although the date for Father’s Day varies from country to country, the day is largely celebrated on the third Sunday in June. Our guests took time to reflect on fatherhood and what it really takes to be a father. Just like mothers, fathers are important, too. Love them, cherish them and celebrate them. Happy Father’s Day!

Dating can be a complicated dance but quite fun. Has the COVID-19 pandemic raptured or spurred romance? Click play to know how couples are keeping in touch during this period. #SafaricomNews

Are you one of those people who are one pay check away from poverty? If the answer is yes, then grab a pen and paper. This episode on Financial Literacy is for you.

M-TIBA is a simple tool that is revolutionizing how Kenyans save and pay for quality healthcare. In this week’s podcast, we discuss what it’s like not to have access to affordable care, and how the mobile phone is making healthcare in Kenya more inclusive.

Can women really have it all? Is it time for businesses to consider the unique needs of female employees in order to close the gender gap and create a level playing field for women in the workplace? Three working women share their thoughts. #BalanceForBetter

How Jazz wafted its way into the Kenyan music scene by Safaricom PLC

Role of Film in Telling a Positive African Story by Safaricom PLC